2 Chr 21:8-20

The reign of Jehoram was marked with evil and disappointment in the eyes of the Lord. It was so bad that the Edomites rebelled against him since he had failed to follow the Lord and how he got the throne and ruled. Others followed suit including the people in the city of Libnah.Not only did he fail to follow the Lord, he encouraged idol worship by erecting the Asherah poles for the people to worship. Jehoram was so irate about the Edomites that he sent an army to overtake the land but found he and his armies couldn't stop the Edomites. What was the highlight (or lowlight) of his reign was the letter that was sent to him by the prophet, Elijah. Elijah's letter denounced Jehoram and his reign since he had violated every thing that a king was to do and be in the eyes of the Lord.He was to be punished for the deaths of his brothers and the punishment was to extend to his family. He was to die a long and horrible death. The letter also went on to say how the people will also suffer since they were living lives that were displeasing to the Lord. The death of Jehoram was marked as one that the people did not honor nor was he allowed to be buried in the land of his ancestors since he was not worthy.

What a waste! He had the legacy of two great kings and was led astray by ungodly people. He thought that he could mock God and not get punished. He died at the age of 40 after ruling for 8 years. He did reap what he sowed.

Not a bad day yesterday which was highlighted by the Mets beating the Sillies. Decent food at the stadium and tried to be good in that department but failed... Hopefully it won't put me too much off track of my goal. Decided not to gym it today since I have a decent amount of stuff to take with me and do before heading into the office this morning. Sadness this morning as I pay my respects to the Rodgers family as they lay to rest their second daughter. Prayers for those being affected by Issac.

Heading home later after work which I am looking forward to and will trek back here on Monday.

Praise for today: Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen. Psalm 41: 13

2 Chr 21:1-7

With the death of Jehosaphat came a new regime and a new era. Jehoram, one of his sons became king and he strengthen his throne by whacking off his brothers (6)and some of the leaders of Judah thus stopping any immediate claims. Jehoram was the eldest and took little chances that his "right" would be challenged. He was heavily influenced by his wife, Athaliah whose father was Ahab. Ahab was the king of Israel and a sworn enemy of the Lord. He didn't follow the ways of the Lord (obvious) and thus was only spared by God because of the Lord's promise that a descendant of David would always be on the throne of Judah. His rule was only 8 years.

I guess "all good things must come to an end" and I now am entering the phase where the kings will follow their foolish ways rather than the Lord's. All of these still point to the fact that the only perfect king would be Jesus.

Pretty decent day which culminated in a trip down the road to see the Wilmington BRs win. Long game and after 2+ hours we left at the end of the 6th inning with them up 5-1. Still enjoy that place and "dollar dog" night. Cheap entertainment for less than parking at a major league baseball game. Tonight, heading off to see the Metskis v the Sillies.

Praise for today: Those who know your name will trust you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you. Psalm 9 :10

2 Chr 20:31-37

The book reports briefly about the balance of Jehoshaphat's reign. All in all, he reigned for 25 years and his heart didn't turn from the Lord as his father did. He did however fail to remove the idol worship that persisted in the land which reflected the divided hearts of the people. The agreement he had with Ahaziah was not "blessed" since Ahaziah was a wicked king whose heart was against the Lord. Ahaziah was the king of Israel around 850-849 BC. As a result, according to the commentary:

Jehoshaphat had not learned the lesson from his agreement with Ahab. The LORD sent Eliezer to prophesy against Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat ought not to have made an agreement with Ahaziah. Because he had done so, the LORD destroyed the ships. Probably Jehoshaphat did not do what he had promised to Ahaziah. He built ships at Ezion-Geber to trade with Ophir. When Ahaziah wanted his sailors to join with Jehoshaphat’s sailors, Jehoshaphat refused. But all of the ships broke up as they sailed from Ezion-Geber (1 Kings 22:48-49).

 

Still the reign of  Jehoshaphat  was one that was commendable. All of the kings and men that are recorded had their flaws since they all pointed to the One that was flawless - Jesus. Jesus's reign would be eternal while theirs would be limited and usually would be one that lacked.

 

Overall, good weekend with the wedding on Sat and church yesterday. Good to see people that I haven't seen in years. This week should shape up to be decent despite paying respect to Keira who goes to be with the Lord. Prayers for those who I just found out have become victims of the economy as well.

 

Praise for today: Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful. 2 Chr 20:20

2 Chr 20:1-30

The first part of this chapter recounts the threat to Judah by the Moabites, the Ammonites, and the people called Meunites. The armies were huge and they were blazing a path toward Jerusalem. Jehoshaphat had a decent size army but still chose to ask and plead with the Lord to take up the battle rather than trust his own strength. He had a history with the power of God and thus brought the people together to ask and pray to the Lord for relief. He called to the Lord based upon the answered prayers of Solomon and pleaded that the Lord do the same for him and his people. Jahaziel, the prophet, told Jehoshaphat and the people not to be afraid - the battle was the Lord's and He would prevail and save His people. He told them to stand their ground and instructed the armies to position themselves. The people responded, not with fear or with skepticism but with praise and thanksgiving.They rejoiced and praised God before the battle as if they had won it in advance. In fact, they did - God promised and delivered them. The enemies ended up fighting each other and killing each other even before the war was to be raged. The Judeans took the plunder from the dead armies and Jehoshaphat and his people praised the Lord again for His steadfastness and the victory over their enemies.

The battle truly is the Lord's and if He is with us - who truly can be against us. Prayers for the Rodgers family as they prepare to lay to rest their second infant daughter in two years. It seemed ill-fated from the start with Keira Eden given all the complications and struggles that they had with Hannah Joy but now she too is with the Lord. Praise for Renna's sister and her return home after  a trip to the ER.

Short week down in Delly next week since Thursday and Friday, I will be home and working out of Princeton.

Praise for today: O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you. 2 Chr 20: 6

2 Chr 19 4-11

Jehoshaphat is now setting up the land for rule by judges. Some of them were Levites but they were also priests and leaders of families. They were instructed not to be a judge for the people but rather a judge for the Lord. It was incumbent upon these judges to have a grasp of the Lord's word and his law as well as living totally for Him. They had to totally live for Him and not for someone else. They were to interpret the Lord's word and also to assure that the precepts that were in Law were followed. They were not to accept gifts from the people so that their judgement would not be compromised.  There was a chief court. This chief court had two divisions. The first division was for the Law of Moses. The second division was for all other matters.

Per the commentary: Then Jehoshaphat gave instruction to the judges. First, he told them that they must be loyal to the LORD. And they must serve him with all their hearts and with all their minds. This is good advice for all who trust in the LORD. Then he talked about the kinds of problems that they must deal with. People from the cities would bring to them the legal problems that were too difficult for the local judges. Also, there would be all kinds of other problems for them to solve. But in all these matters, they must warn the people not to sin against the LORD. Verse 11 There were two presidents over the courts in Jerusalem. Amaziah was the chief priest. He was the president over the first division of the court. He was responsible for all that was in the Law of Moses. Zebadiah was responsible for all matters that the second division of the court had to make decisions about. There were Levites who served as officials on behalf of the judges. In all their responsibilities, they should act with courage.

What foresight and how the way a country should be ruled and governed. I wished this country could be run this way. If man followed the precepts of the Lord, there would be so little crime and violence. Still poverty and man's greed causes most of the crimes that you hear on the media as well as self-interest and promotion. What the chapter described would truly be a wonderful world.

Glad to leave work an hour earlier yesterday to get my watch battery replaced. Such a prime day and took advantage doing some outdoor reading on the patio. Have a late day today but still should be a decent day.

Praise for today: Now let the fear of the Lord be upon you. Judge carefully, for with the Lord our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery. 2 Chr 19:7

2 Chr 19: 1-3

The war that was raged was over with no further attacks and Jehosaphat returning to Judah in peace. With Ahab dead and Aram no longer interested in continuing, Jehosaphat had no reason to stay there. God did spare Jehosaphat from physical harm and was told so by the prophet Jehu who was the son of Hanani who was the prophet to his father Asa. Jehosaphat was told that the Lord was angry with him for aligning himself with Ahab who detested the Lord. However, Jehosaphat did good things such as ridding the land of idols and returning the people to the Lord. His heart was for the most part aligned with the Lord.

We are told not to be "yoked" with non-believers because they can bring us down to their levels. We are told to preach and bring others into His kingdom. It is tough to meet the "happy" medium yet still be faithful to the calling and the love of Christ. What is our heart and what is our end game? I think that will determine how close we have aligned ourselves to the non-believer or the Christ. Easier said than done.

This week, I am continuing my quest to lose some weight. Cutting down on some carbs, particularly starches has been my goal to get to this point. Used some "new" recipes on chicken which was ok and that coupled with some corn, broccoli and carrots will be my dinner for the most part this week. Salads are the staple for lunch and cereal for breakfast. Don't know if I can continue this for a prolonged period of time but even if I do this type of dinner a few times a week I guess it will help. Gym time in the AM is also helpful as well.

Praise for today: The Lord hears the need and does not despise his captive people. Ps 69:33

2 Chr 18: 20-34

What a bizarre story and battle! To save his own hide. Ahab told his counterpart to wear his royal clothes into battle while he would wear regular battle gear. It was to draw less attraction to himself since when the head falls, the body will follow. Jehoshaphat chose to wear his royal gear and thus became the target of the king of Aram. His charge to his soldiers was not to engage with anyone except the king of Israel. As they turned to attack Jehoshaphat, he cried out to the Lord and the Lord protected him from harm. The Lord deflected their wrath since they were "told" that he was not the king of Israel. What was bizarre was that there was  a stray arrow shot by an Aramite which pierced the armor of Ahab and ultimately, he died at sunset. Ahab was buried in Samaria.

Still showed you can run but you can't hide. God will not be mocked and you will reap what you sow. It seems that his was the only death recorded on that battle during that skirmish. Go figure, ha!

What a weekend. Saw an old family friends' son get married on Saturday down the NJ shore (Spring Lake) and had a great day at church yesterday. Still didn't get enough sleep on either day but that's life. Last night was no exception either but still need to get to the gym in a few... Solidified my trip to Denver at the end of next month and will give up (for now) my usual birthday trip to FL. Looking forward to spending time with GG and exploring Denver and baseball!

Praise for today: Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his holy mountain, for the Lord our God is holy. Psalm 99: 9

2 Chr. 18: 5-27

If you don't want to hear the answer, don't ask the question. That was Ahab's problem whenever he heard from Micaiah - the only true prophet in Israel. All of the others were "yes"men that merely stroked Ahab's ego and his ideas and rules. When Micaiah was going to be brought up to Ahab, he was "coached" as to what to say but being true to his calling, he could and would not. He spoke God's prophesy - the attack would fail and Ahab would be killed in the process. What was amazing was that Jehoshaphat didn't really buy in as well since he didn't back out of the attack.  From the commentary:

Micaiah had a vision. In it, he saw the LORD on his throne. He saw the army of heaven each side of the throne. God had intended the death of Ahab in the battle at Ramoth in Gilead. But someone had to convince Ahab to go to Ramoth in Gilead. Then a spirit said that he would convince Ahab. He would make all the prophets speak a lie. And God allowed that spirit to do it. No spirit from God would lie like this. The spirit was an evil spirit. But the LORD allowed it to come. God is in control over all things. But for a time he allows Satan (God’s chief enemy) to do evil things. Verses 23-24 An evil spirit had lied to all the prophets. And they all gave false prophecies. That is, all except Micaiah. Zedekiah could not believe that an evil spirit had put a lie in him. Such a statement made him angry. So, he hit Micaiah on the face. Zedekiah believed that the Spirit of the LORD had spoken to him. In his anger, he asked Micaiah a question. He did not believe that Micaiah had spoken words from the LORD. Micaiah answered the question. One day, Zedekiah will try to hide in shame. Then he will know that the Spirit of God was not in him. Probably this would be when his prophecy had failed.

How stubborn can one be? I guess we too are always guilty of ignoring the Lord and expecting his blessings. God is not mocked, we will reap what we sow. In the case of Zedekiah, he didn't have a history of being God's mouthpiece and his "man" so it was disgraceful that he would stand up to Micaiah and his relationship with the Lord.

Back to normal - sleepwise, finally! The weekend will be hectic since we have a wedding this Sat and the next and with church on Sunday, it will be gone before I know it. Waiting to hear from GG as far as my ticket and then I will book the return flight. Glad to hear that a friend is recovering well and beyond expectations from recent e-mails. God does heal and is still in the business in doing so.

Praise for today: The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord is enthroned as King forever. The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace. Psalm 29: 10-11

2 Chr 18:1-4

The kings of the time were Jehoshaphat (Judah) and Ahab (Israel). This seemed to be a time of tranquility between the two since they had formed pacts which included intermarrying between the two nations. Perhaps it was to thwart the greater threat which was the Assyrian empire. This was around 865 BC. Jehoshaphat's son and Ahab's daughter were married to forge that bond. Years after the bond was formed, Ahab was seeking support from Jehoshaphat to attack and reclaim Gilead which belonged to the Hebrews. Jehoshaphat was supportive but he needed to consult the Lord and the way he put it, "we should ask".

The stage is set for the realization that the Lord is not a part of the Israel nation but of Judah's. I like the way that Jehoshaphat didn't leap into action simply because he had the alliance or it"seemed" right but because he had to "ask" the Lord. Lesson learned...

Finally back on track sleep-wise. Now to the gym! Am planning to go to Denver in late September and will skip my trip to FL for my birthday for the first time in nearly a decade. Maybe look to extend the December trip by a few days to make up for it.

Praise for today: My feet stand on level ground; in the great assembly I will praise the Lord. Psalm 26: 12

2 Chr 17: 12-19

Jehoshaphat became rich and powerful. He built castles for the defence of his kingdom. And he stored provisions in his towns in case there was an attack. Also, he organised his army in or near Jerusalem. He arranged the soldiers in the army in groups of 1000 men and by their families. He had 5 main officers over the officers of 1000 men. From Judah there were Adnah, Johanan and Amasiah. And from Benjamin there were Eliada and Jehozabad. Other soldiers were in the strong cities through all Judah. All seems well as he follows the Lord. God was with him at this point given his prosperity and the means to protect his kingdom.

Finally!!! A decent night sleep but still tired. Weird dreams and that is different since I don't dream much these days. Still grateful for the sleep. Haven't gone to the gym so far but will try tomorrow. Good to speak to my buddy Kirk last night and am keeping him in my prayers as he seeks to fund his project. On the other side, I am sad that I couldn't go pay my last respects to Arnie's dad but glad the rest of the family was able to go and support him and his family yesterday.

Praise for today: The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18

2 Chr 17: 1-11

The reign of Jehoshaphat (which probably was started at the final two years of Asa's life) took full control. He wanted to follow the Lord since he was living during the better times of harmony with his father and the Lord. His first order was to fortify the cities against any attack from the Israelites. He knew that the latter years of his father's reign was a start to a bad path. As a result, he cut down the Asherah poles and idols that started to pop up during the past few years.  His goal was to make Judah "idol free". He sent out his officers and teachers of the Law to reinforce the Lord in their lives. As a result, the neighboring countries feared the Lord and left them alone. Some of the Philistines even brought silver as homage to Judah as well as the Arabs giving them livestock.  To the north was King Ahab who still worshipped idols and thus was a threat to Judah.

It was good to read how Jehoshaphat saw and how he carried out the ways of the Lord. It probably pained him to see the direction that the nation was heading under Asa's last years and knew what had to be done and did it. Looking forward to reading further...

First day at work seemed ok and rather painless especially since I had no systems problems. Still tough to get to sleep at night and am going to drag today. I don't want to rely on sleeping pills to get past the jetlag though. Still deciding as to doing both trips in Sept. Heard some startling news about a break-in in my neighborhood and took some steps to prevent it in my home. Maybe I am over-cautious but that's my nature as a father, husband and home-owner. Hopefully, it gets resolved soon. Hopefully no one was hurt and this was an isolated incident.

Prayers still for Arnie's family as they prepare to lay to rest his dad. I know the feelings that they must be going through since we had to so the same for our dads even though it was decades ago.

Praise for today: I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. Psalm 104: 33

2 Chr 16: 7-14

Pride goeth before the fall. Asa was confronted with the truth as far as his folly. He was admonished for relying not on the Lord but rather through alliances that were totally unnecessary. The armies that he faced with the Lord were greater than his recent battles and not even totally won. As a result of his actions, he and the nation would be subject to wars according to the prophet Hanani. His displeasure with the prophet had him throw the prophet in jail and his attitude towards the people changed for the worse. In the 39th year of his rule, he developed an illness that cause his death two years later since he sought doctors rather than the Lord. According to the commentary:

Two years before his death, Asa had a bad disease in his feet. He went to the doctors with his problem but he did not pray to the LORD. He ought to have asked God to make him well.It is not wrong to go to the doctors. The LORD does use the medical profession to make people well. But really it is the LORD who makes people well (Psalm 103:3). Those who believe in the LORD should pray to him first. In those days, there was very little medical knowledge. Doctors now understand much better and they know a lot more. We believe that God usually cures people by medical means. But sometimes he does make people well without medical help. Asa died and the people gave to him a great public funeral. They laid him on a bed with spices so that people could say goodbye to him. Then they buried him in the grave that he had made for himself. At times, he did not trust the LORD. But he had been a good king.

Sorry to see my 2-weeker end since now I go back to the grind. Have to decide whether or not to go to Denver and FL in the coming weeks or both. The vacation depleted a decent amount of funds and since I floated David/Daniel's rooms that could hurt  as well. Might give up some other plans to make it work. Need to do these trips for various reasons. Still fighting jet lag and not looking forward to going back to work.

Prayers for Arnie and his family since they are saying goodbye for now to his dad who passed this past week. Praise for the upcoming weddings and the recent baptism of Kimmie.

Praise for today: On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. Psalm 63:6-7

2 Chr 16:1-6

Asa's kingdom was under pressure from Baasha, king of Israel. Rather than seek the Lord, he sought to form alliances with neighboring kings. Baasha attacked a city in Judah and renamed it Ramah. The fact that Asa didn't go to the Lord for help marks the demise of Asa and his rule. Going from neighboring king to king, he found support in Ben-Haddad who was willing to break his pact with Baasha after Asa emptied what wasn't his to give - the Lord's treasury. We know that the consequences will have lasting affects on the future of Judah. We also know how trustworthy neighboring kings are who are willing to change their allegiance for the highest bidder.

Good day yesterday, which I posted on FB. Still good to do all we did and had a great time as well. Looking forward to having dinner with Jason, Liana and Kyler later.

Praise for today: Both young men and maidens; old men and children, Let them praise the name of the Lord, for His name alone is the exalted; for His glory is above the earth and heaven. Psalm 148:12-13

2 Chr 15: 9-19

Under Asa's rule, there was peace and prosperity with his people and the land. He truly promoted the verse earlier in 2 Chr 7:14 and the people humbled themselves and turned from their wicked ways and the Lord truly heard from heaven and healed their land. The land was healed and prospered. When push came to shove, they went to the Lord and sought and found him. They didn't know the Law but they did know the Lord and and gave their heart and lives for him. He who opposed the Lord was put to death - so they meant business. The telling decision that Asa made was to remove his own grand mother from a position of prominence since she decided to create an Asherah and worship it. Per the commentary: Asa was loyal to the LORD all his life. But he was not able to persuade all the people to follow him in this. Some of the people were not as loyal to the LORD as he was. They continued to worship at the high places and altars of false gods. These high places for worship were in Israel. This may mean that they were in the territory of the northern kingdom. But the name Israel sometimes means the kingdom called Judah. Here it probably means Judah as the area that Asa was king over.

Asa's rule was recorded in this chapter as 35 years which was pretty long and effective given his loyalty and love for the Lord. There was peace for that long a period of time - remarkable given the history of the previous king and the people that he ruled.

What a vacation so far! The days have been exhaustive and long with a lot of walking, climbing and thus it has been draining. Yesterday, we went to Muir Woods and hiked along a relatively flat terrain but still clocked a few miles checking out the redwoods. We then drove back and hiked down to pier to go to Alcatraz and logged a mile or so as well as the rigorous walk around the Rock. We then hauled back from the pier and then did a quick turnaround to Saratoga to have dinner with my Aunt's nephew and his family. They have been in our lives for a long time since they started in my old neighborhood before settling in Silicon Valley for a few decades. It was good to share and catch up with each other but the most important highlight for me was to pray for Lily who is suffering from a severe case of MS and the effects on the family. We all had a great, great time.

Today was the pack up and heading to San Simeon for a tour of the Hearst Mansion. The drive (performed to perfection by Irene) was long and tedious and took its toll on us. We had a nice lunch at the park and after the tour made our way down to Santa Barbara where we nailed a Triple D dinner at a place called Mac's Fish and Chips. Great food and staff. Made our way down to the hotel and finally settling down but will have a long day @ Disneyland Cal Adv.

Praise for today: Sing to God; sing praised to His name; extol Him who rides on the clouds, by His name YAH, and rejoice before Him. Psalm 68: 4